At least five suspects were arrested and elephant tusks valued at Sh6 million were recovered in two separate operations.
In the first incident, police said a suspected poacher was shot and injured in a confrontation with police along Kehancha-Isebania road in Kuria, Migori County.
The team said they recovered eight pieces of ivory weighing 30 kilograms and valued at Sh3 million from the suspect in the Saturday afternoon drama.
He was among three suspects transporting the ivory in a salon car when police confronted them in the Taragwiti area.
The three including a Tanzanian national were all arrested in the drama that was prompted after one of them tried to stab a police officer at the roadblock.
Police said the suspect stabbed a police officer in his left thumb prompting another officer to shoot him in the left thigh for them to immobilize him.
The injured suspect was taken to Isebania Sub County Hospital where he was admitted in fair condition while the other accomplices were escorted to the station pending arraignment.
Separately, in a well-coordinated operation, police officers based at Mtwapa Police Station and officers from Kenya Wildlife Service Mombasa deftly netted two Tanzanian nationals for their involvement in the illegal trade of ivory.
The
sweep proved fruitful as they recovered elephant tusks, valued at
Sh3,300,000.
Acting on a tip-off, the officers pounced on the
suspects at their hideout in Majengo area of Mtwapa where they uncovered eleven
elephant tusks, weighing 32.924 kilogrammes, cleverly concealed in nylon sacks
within three different bags.
It was established that the smugglers had
journeyed from Tanzania to Kenya via the Namanga border, intent on finding potential buyers for their illicit haul.
Police said the exhibits were kept in safe custody as evidence as the injured officer was also attended to.
Police
said the suspects will be charged with being in Possession of
Wildlife Trophies of Endangered Species Contrary to Section 92(4) of the
Wildlife Conservation Management Act 2013.
Officials said the seizure shows up to two elephants had been killed and there is a likelihood the incidents happened in the nearby parks.
Elephant tusks fetch a fortune in the black market as a surge in demand for ivory in the East continues to fuel the illicit trade in elephant tusks, especially from Africa.
Officials say despite a ban on the international ivory trade, African elephants are still being poached in large numbers.
As part of efforts to stop the menace, Kenya has started using high-tech surveillance equipment, including drones, to track poachers and keep tabs on elephants and rhinos.
KWS and stakeholders have implemented mechanisms to eradicate all forms of wildlife crime, particularly poaching.
These mechanisms include enhanced community education, interagency
collaboration, and intensive intelligence-led operations, among others.
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